How are camera sensors still improving?

The cameras keep getting better, but sometimes it feels like the rate of improvement has slowed down. You can look at pictures of the original Canon 5D, released in 2005, and they look pretty good! In some performance tests, the sensors seem to have barely changed over the past decade. However, there have been great advancements in noise reduction, dynamic range, and sensor read speed, which not only improved image quality, but allowed photographers to work in harsher environments. and take photos in new ways. While the original 5D could capture three 13-megapixel-per-second images at a native ISO of 1600, Sony’s latest A1 can shoot 30 50-megapixel images at a native ISO of 32,000 in the same amount of time.

In the latest installment of our Upscaled series, we explain how sensors work and how camera makers have overcome the physical challenges of trying to capture a lot of light in a very short period of time. For the full story, watch the video below.